43rd Street North

Description of Project

This project will upgrade 43rd Street North to a 4-lane divided urban cross section between Highway 3 and 9th Avenue North. The upgrade will include improvement to intersections and installation of signals.

Project Updates

October 15, 2015 - Project completed

August 19, 2015 - Concrete installation is complete for all the medians, the bottom lift of asphalt is complete and the irrigation installation from 6th Avenue North to the north limit of the project is complete.

July 21, 2015 - The intersection of 43rd Street North and 5th Avenue North has reopened to motorists.

June 19, 2015 - On Monday, June 22nd the intersection at 43rd
Street North and 5th Avenue North will be closed. Motorists will
still be able to travel north and south on 43rd Avenue North but
will be unable to access 5th Avenue North from 43rd
Street North. This closure is expected to last 5 weeks, weather permitting.

June 15, 2015 - All light bases and conduit installation is completed from the 6th Avenue North intersection to the north limit of the project. All the ditching has been completed between 5th Avenue North and the north limit of project. Concrete curb and bottom lift asphalt installation are complete for the south bound lanes between 6th Avenue North and the north limit and west of the 9th Avenue North intersection.

On the weekend of June 20/21 the signals at the
intersection of 43rd Street North and 9th Avenue North will be on flashing
mode. On Monday June 22 will be fully operational.

April 20, 2015 - The contractor will be opening the east leg of 9th Avenue North and closing the west leg on April 21, 2015. By Friday, April 24, 2015 Northbound & Southbound traffic will be two-way on the new northbound lanes.

March 23, 2015 - Construction for this year will be starting on March 30, 2015. As part of construction the temporary signals (traffic lights) at 9th Avenue and 43rd Street North will be removed prior to work at that intersection begins. They will be replaced with stop signs for the 9th Avenue traffic while 43rd Street North will have a continuous right of way

November 18, 2014 - Over the next few weeks there will be a series of brief closures at the intersection of 5th Avenue North and 43rd Street North. These closures will be dependent on weather and will only last a few hours. Detours will be in place during the closures and motorists are encouraged to use 6th Avenue North during this time. The closure is necessary to allow for the installation of a new culvert in the area.

October 16, 2014 - The intersection of 2nd Avenue North and 43rd Street North will be closed beginning October 20. Weather permitting, the intersection is expected to reopen on November 10. Motorists can use the intersection of 5th Avenue North and 43rd Street North as an alternate route. Please drive with care and obey any posted construction and detour signs in the area.

August 5, 2014 - On Tuesday, August 5th, two-way traffic on 43rd Street North (between Highway 3 and 9th Avenue North) will be moved to the west side of the roadway. Once the detour is set up the contractor will begin removing the existing roadway asphalt from the east side of the road. This will include the stripping of topsoil and rough grading of the east side of 43rd Street North.

July 11, 2014 – The contractor will tentatively be moving onto the site to begin roadway construction the week of July 28th. Prior to this time, surveyors and utility locators may be on site. Initial roadway work will involve construction of the new northbound lanes on the east side of the corridor with traffic being accommodated on the existing roadway. Traffic impacts may include reduced speeds and lane width reductions. Please obey all temporary traffic signs and flaggers. The use of alternate routes is encouraged.

July 7, 2014 - Project has been awarded to DeGraaf Excavating Ltd.

May 20, 2014 - The public tender period for the project began on May 15 and ends on June 5. Construction is anticipated to begin in late June.

May 15, 2014 - There is a public open house scheduled for Thursday, May 29 between 4 - 8 p.m. at the River of Life Church located at 2820 - 18th Avenue North. Residents are invited to come see the design and provide feedback on the proposed upgrade.

April 17, 2014 - Stantec has completed the preliminary design, which plans 43rd St as far north as 62nd Ave North. The detailed design to upgrade 43rd St to four lanes from north of CP Rail to 250m north of 9th Ave North is also complete. The project team expects to go to tender at the end of April or early May with construction from north of CP Rail to 250m north of 9th Ave North to begin this Spring.

January 10, 2013 - Topographic Survey schedule to begin during the week of January 14th. Work to take place during daylight hours and involve a surveyor collecting topographic features off of the roadway from north of the CP rail tracks to approximately 250m north of 9th Avenue North as well as down intersecting roadways for approximately 200m.

December 20, 2012 – Preliminary Design scheduled to begin in first week of January 2013.

Background

The City’s north east quadrant has experienced significant industrial and commercial growth. 43rd Street North plays a major role in supporting and sustaining this growth. 43rd Street North is a major truck route and functions as a major arterial roadway carrying traffic volumes up to 14,000 vehicles per day with 10% of these volumes attributed to trucks.

The preliminary design of the corridor from Highway 3 to 62nd Avenue North will serve to provide the basis for detailed design from Highway 3 to 9th Avenue North as well as the future detailed design(s) from the 9th Avenue upgrade to the City limit at 62nd Avenue North. Upgrading 43rd Street North’s 4-lane cross section to a divided urban arterial standard from just north of Highway 3 to 9th Avenue North, and upgrading the intersections within this range, will significantly improve the capacity, safety and operations of this major north/south corridor.

Scope

Added additional lanes of roadway to increase capacity

Intersection improvements (including signals) for the following:

5th Avenue North

6th Avenue North

9th Avenue North

Intersection Improvements (unsignalized) to 2nd Ave N. This intersection will be converted from an all-turns intersection to a right-in right-out. With the operational change to a right-in right-out, a splitter island will be introduced at this intersection.

New concrete curb and median

New asphalt concrete pavement to the City of Lethbridge arterial road structure standards